St. Landry democrat., 1887-06-18

were good fellows so long as they were
on our side; but when they quit us
why they Immediately became bad
worse, worst. 1t makes all the differ
ence in the world whose OK is sored.
The Courier refers us to the state
ment in the Governors me ssage of
1884, " the police jury fixes the polling
places" as proof that he at that time
80 interpreted the law.
As a matter of fact the Governors
statement is not true. At that time tho
returning officers in all the parishes
adjoining this and We doubt not
throughout the State, were exercising
that authority and We have stated
without denial that tue returning officer
ut Baton Rol ge under the Governors
eye was at that time exercising the au-
thority to fix the polling places. Now
there has never been any executive in
reference with these officials, except
when the Governor, doubtless acting in
the interest of Judge Gates, wrote the
letter to Mr. Durio returning officer Of
st. Martin parish. Was the Governor
at that time really ignorant of the fact
that the returning officers throughout
the State were fixing the polling places
under the authority granted
them to designate the polls by the act of
1897 1t is impossible that he should
not have known the fact. To say that
he was not aware of it, is to ascribe to
him too great degree of ignorance,
and OF indifference to the political
working of the election law. Here
then we have the Governor putting
forth All Interpretation of the law
which is not only untenable and ab-
surd, but which since 1882 aud up to
date ia entirely contrary to the uni
form judgement and practice OF the !!
very officials whom he himself ap- |
points. Moreover, the police iuries |
have, since 1882, ceased entirely to !
exercise authority over the polls. The
police jury of St. Landry has not since |
that year meddled with the polling
places, and though this controversy has
been going on through the press for
several weeks, we have not yet been
informed of a single parish of the
State where the police jury after 1882
exercised the right to do 80. Nor do
we believe that the Governor seriously
intended the st. Landry and Acadia
iuries to carry out his suggestions.
Those letters were the merest sham
and buncOmbe, transparent pretext
Tor one of the boldest and most usur-
patory acts 4hat McEnery has up to
date committed against the peoples
rights.
The Courier tries to belttle this aues-
ton; it insinuates that the issue ia,
whether :" the patriotic Mr.. A. or the
anselfish Mr.. B may have the privilege
De running a few months sooner for
The judgeship.' That is the style also in
which the Advocate the Governors
personal organ treats this question. 1t
ike the Courier sneers or affects to do
20, at what it terms the reformers."
We do not exactly see the propriety
IL that style, in connection with so Sc
.ious question. 1t however shows an
utter poverty of argument as we'll as a
partisan blindness and bias too dense
to see or feel or resent this wanton and
aggressive act of the Governor, by
which lie not only deprived the eight
thousand voters of this district of the
light to choose their own judge, but
took that prerogative
INTO bis own hands; and the Courier,
while defending the Governors action
n disfranchising these eight thousand
,oteys, actually affects great concern
hat the 35 or so voters formerly at
ached to the Church Point poll should
rave a legally appointed polling place
It which to vote for judge! And 80
leeply concerned are the Courier and
he Advocate and the Governor that
hese rs or 80 votes shall have legally
constituted poll, that they are entirely
Wiling to disfranchise tile whole dis
rict rather than these few voters
hould run the risk OF voting at an
constituted poll
They strain at gnat and swallow o
anael.
trhe Nichols boom is booming
branpl,Otft the State, notwithstanding
n. xr1y